Corporate Supporters
Get Connected benefits from the support of several companies, some of whom contribute financially and some of whom donate their services for free or at a very reduced cost. Our main corporate supporters are listed below, but many others have contributed to over recent months, especially to our annual auction.
Our partnership with The Carphone Warehouse was established in 2001, when The Carphone Warehouse decided to make a big difference to a small charity, and Get Connected was in need of better premises for the helpline. We moved into offices in their West London centre, and have enjoyed their support ever since.
Get Connected and The Carphone Warehouse have a unique relationship that was recognised in 2003 by the Charity Times Corporate Partnership Award and in 2006 by the Third Sector Excellence Award for Corporate Partnership. Charles Dunstone, founder and Group CEO of The Carphone Warehouse, is Get Connected's non-Executive Chairman, and Andrew Harrison, CEO of Best Buy Europe, sits on Get Connected's Board of Trustees. Both have been invaluable in mobilising their company in support of Get Connected; here are a few ways in which The Carphone Warehouse helps Get Connected:
- Week long fundraising activity across stores and support centres
- Employee fundraising, including overseas treks, sponsored events such as the London 10K run and payroll giving
- A nationwide mobile phone recycling programme
- Organisation of the annual Get Connected-The Carphone Warehouse auction
- Office space, equipment and IT support
- Marketing and PR opportunities
- Employee volunteers on Get Connected's helpline
If you'd like to know more about our relationship with The Carphone Warehouse, please contact the Get Connected fundraising department or the CSR department at The Carphone Warehouse.
Merrill Lynch
Get Connected was one of Merrill Lynch's Charities of the Year in 2008.
Employees of the bank raised £166,000 for Get Connected through an impressive variety of fundraising activities, which has enabled us to plan for significant growth. We've invested these funds in additional staff to supervise the helpline and increased promotion of the service, meaning we expect to be able to help more young people than ever. The relationship gave our 2008-2011 Strategic Plan a healthy start, and we aim to sustain these latest developments with other new corporate supporters.
KPMG
The accounting firm KPMG supports our Blue Card Project. This is a joint initiative with the Home Office and the Refugee Council, ensuring that young refugees and asylum seekers have access to the help they need when they arrive in the UK. The Blue Card itself is a leaflet listing vital services these young people may need, including Get Connected. We can put them in touch, for free, with services such as the Detention Advice Service, their solicitor or Social Worker, or the Association for Visitors to Immigration Detainees.
Eatsleepthink Design 
Eatsleepthink Design is the company behind Get Connected's new brand, launched in 2006. They created the brand free of charge, and designed our website and publicity materials at very low cost. We're continually delighted with the design they give us, not to mention their creative ideas and their willingness to take on board the views of young people, whose input to our visual identity is crucial.
Since 2006, Eatsleepthink have produced posters, flyers, leaflets and animation for Get Connected, at such good value that we've been able to stretch our marketing budget far beyond its previous limits. If you'd like to see a selection of these materials, visit our publicity materials section.
Get Connected and Eatsleepthink have been shortlisted for a Charity Times Award.
HH Associates
HH Associates is a print management company who have supported Get Connected for several years. They contribute £10,000 of printing a year, which covers all our core materials, including publicity materials and Annual Review. We're extremely grateful to have their support in this area, and credit them on all materials they help us to produce.